Lady Tambourine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lady Tambourine
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Rosalie Washington |
| Born | 1957 (age 67–68) Denham Springs, Louisiana, US |
| Origin | New Orleans |
| Genres | Gospel, zydeco |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Tambourine |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Associated acts | Charmaine Neville |
Rosalie Marie Ashton-Washington, born in 1957, is a talented American musician. She is famously known as Lady Tambourine because of her amazing skill with the tambourine. She comes from Louisiana and is especially known for playing gospel music.
Lady Tambourine loves to play her instrument with gospel and zydeco groups. She often joins musicians on stage during live shows. She plays the tambourine with so much energy, using her hands, elbows, and even knees! She plays so hard that she often breaks her tambourines and has to carry extra ones. The famous funk bandleader Charmaine Neville has said that Lady Tambourine sometimes joins her on stage, playing the tambourine with incredible power.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Rosalie Washington was born in Denham Springs, Louisiana, in 1957. When she was five years old, she saw her godmother, Wilhomenia Jackson Landry, playing the tambourine in church. Rosalie felt like the instrument was surrounded by fire, and she wished she could play like that. She later realized this was a special gift.
At 13, she sang in her local youth choir. She also joined the Louisiana All-State Youth Choir. In school, she learned to play many instruments, including drums, saxophone, and organ. After graduating from Denham Springs High School, she earned a degree in journalism from Southern University in Baton Rouge in 1977.
Playing Gospel Music
Lady Tambourine first performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 29, 1993. She played with her friends, the Banks Family, a gospel group. She had encouraged them to apply to the festival and promised to play tambourine with them. After their performance, other gospel groups asked her to play with them too.
After that, she returned to the festival's gospel tent every year as a paid percussionist. She played with many famous gospel artists, including Charles G. Hayes, Dottie Peoples, Richard Smallwood, and Shirley Caesar.
In 2003, Lady Tambourine joined Stevie Wonder on stage at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. In 2016, a video of her playing the tambourine in the audience during a French Montana performance went viral on Twitter.
Sometimes, other gospel groups at the Jazz Fest did not want her to play because she would get too much attention. In 2007, she was even stopped from going on stage with Bobby Jones. She later said, "I used to play with every act, but I was getting all the attention... Now I play in the Gospel Tent by invitation only." People who saw her play in 2007 said she brought "uproarious joy" to the stage.
Because she was so popular, the festival organizers gave her a special performance slot in 2008. She was backed by the Greater Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church choir. A week later, country music star Tim McGraw invited her on stage to play with him. He said it "sorta happened organically." Lady Tambourine also joined guitarist Ruthie Foster in the blues tent, creating an exciting performance that earned a standing ovation. Foster said Lady Tambourine "took it to another level."
In 2011, she jumped on stage with Eric Lindell and his band, bringing energy to the song "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover". Singer-songwriter Dayna Kurtz advised in 2012, "Look for the tambourine lady. If she's on stage in the gospel tent then you know the band is worthwhile."
In May 2017, Lady Tambourine was the main performer at Gospel in the Park in Gonzales, Louisiana. She also played at the first Riverfront Jazz Festival in Dallas, Texas, in September 2017, joining the New Orleans Soul Band.
Other Musical Collaborations
Lady Tambourine has played with many different artists. She performed with Rockin' Dopsie and the Zydeco Twisters in 2007. She has also joined New Orleans brass bands and Mardi Gras Indians in parades. In 2012, she played with a unique group of musicians led by Quintron.
She regularly performs with Charmaine Neville's funk band at Snug Harbor. Charmaine Neville's keyboard player, Amasa Miller, said that Lady Tambourine is unique. "There's nobody doing what she does," he said. Jazz and rock drummer Steve Gadd even wrote a song inspired by her, called "Lady Tambourine."
Acting Roles
Besides music, Lady Tambourine has also acted. She appeared in the musical Purlie at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre in New Orleans. Other plays she performed in include A Raisin in the Sun, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Rose Tattoo.
In movies, she had a small part in Dead Man Walking (1995). In 2003, she played Faye Jenkins, a gospel choir member, in The Fighting Temptations. Other films she appeared in include Bump in the Night (1991), Runaway Jury (2003), Last Holiday (2006), American Violet (2008), and The Butler (2013). In the mid-2000s, she was also in TV commercials for Winn-Dixie.
In April 2008, she performed in a musical stage production in New Orleans to help stop violence. She played with Reverend Louis Dejean and the Voices of New Orleans Gospel Choir. Country music star Faith Hill was so moved that she danced barefoot.
Personal Life and Football Fun
After college, Rosalie married in 1980 and lived in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. She and her husband had three children: Danny Jr, Danitra, and Dantonio. After her marriage ended, she lived in different places, including Violet and Uptown New Orleans. In 2005, her home was flooded by Hurricane Katrina, and she moved back to Baton Rouge.
Lady Tambourine is also famous for playing her tambourine at college football games. She supports the Southern Jaguars football and LSU Tigers football teams. She plays in the crowd with the cheerleaders and marching band. Videos of her energetic tambourine playing at football games became very popular on Facebook in late 2017. This led to a story about her on ABC News.
Images for kids
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Lady Tambourine in 2008 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
